The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976 film)

The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Theatrical release poster by Ralph McQuarrie
Directed byCharles B. Pierce
Written byEarl E. Smith
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byVern Stierman
CinematographyJim Roberson
Edited byTom Boutross
Music byJaime Mendosa-Nava
Production
company
Charles B. Pierce Film Productions
Distributed byAmerican International Pictures
Release date
  • December 24, 1976 (1976-12-24)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$400,000
Box office$4–5 million

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a 1976 American slasher film co-produced directed by Charles B. Pierce and written by Earl E. Smith. The film stars Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, and Dawn Wells. It is loosely based on the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders, crimes attributed to an unidentified serial killer known as the Phantom Killer.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown premiered in Texarkana on December 17, 1976, and was released on December 24. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a box-office hit, grossing between $4 million and $5 million against a production budget of $400,000.

A metasequel of the same name was released in October 2014.